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Preparing an Altar (Traditional or Non-Traditional)
If you’d like to prepare an altar for a deceased loved one, here are a few questions you might want to ask yourself. As you answer each question, let your love of the person and your own creativity guide you.
- Who would you like to honor? Why that person?
- What would you like the altar to look like? Would you use a table? A shelf? Or would you build the altar yourself? Would you paint the altar or make a drawing to display on it? What color would you like it to be? Will it be a big altar or a small one? Will it be fancy, modern, frilly, serious, or jubilant?
- What mementoes of that person do you already have that you could place on the altar? What new items would you like to add?
- What were his or her favorite foods? His or her favorite pastimes? His or her biggest passions? How will you represent these? Did he or she love animals, music, theatre, travel, sports, or art? If the loved one was a child, what was his or her favorite toy?
- What stories could you share about that person? What is your favorite memory of him or her? How would you portray these stories on the altar?
- Who would you invite to view your altar? Why?
- How do you think you could benefit by adopting this tradition in your own life?
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You might want to make designing an altar to honor deceased loved ones a yearly tradition in your family. If you choose to do so, just remember, it is not what you put on the altar that is important; it is that it represents the spirit of that person and your heartfelt tribute. It will be a very meaningful and healing event for your family and friends. Please e-mail me photos of your altar with stories of your beloved ones. Perhaps we can share them with others!
Feliz Dia De Los Muertos!
Ginette Rondeau, Curator/Artist
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